It's a Game
by loveandhuggies
Summary: Love is a game." James Potter, Marauder and trouble-maker, is dreadfully in love with Lily Evans, Head Girl and rule-abider. And Lily is dreadfully annoyed with him. He's determined to win her over. Padfoot's not helping much... Rated: T: just in case
1. James Potter: Insufferable Prat

**~~Sadly, I don't own Harry Potter. Not the plot, not the characters, nothing. I do, however, own one of those novelty spinning lollipop holders from The ****Sorcerer's **Stone movie franchise...

**I have _officially_ fallen in love with James and Lily! They're so adorable... Sooo, I decided to add my own fanfic to the collection of Potter/Evans loveliness. Reviews mean I keep writing!! If I get no reviews, there's no use in continuing it... *wink wink*~~**

"Morning, Lily." James said, smirking as she shuffled down the girls' stairs and into the Gryffindor common room.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Morning, Potter." She sighed, stretching her arms a bit.

He chuckled. "Head Girl still tired when it's almost time for breakfast? Tsk, tsk."

Petulantly, Lily stuck her tongue out at him. "Simply because I'm Head Girl doesn't mean I'm not _human_, Potter. I never was a morning pershwaung..." Her last word was distorted by a large yawn.

"So I've noticed." He laughed again, earning him a prompt smack on the shoulder.

"Are you ever going to grow out of being an insufferable prat?" she asked, annoyed.

"It's possible," he mused, leaning casually against a wall. "But I think only one thing could assist me in that." He smiled wickedly.

"...I don't think I even want to know." she shook her head, putting her hands up as if to block any of his unwanted ideas, and turned towards the portrait door.

He pushed himself off the wall, following her immediately. "I'd have to disagree with you there, Miss Evans. You may be Head Girl, but you're still _human_. Your curiosity never was controllable." He smirked again, running a hand through his ever-messy black hair.

Annoyance flashed in Lily's green eyes, and she started to walk a little faster.

"Don't deny it, Lily. You know you want to know what goes on in my head."

His arrogant tone made her whip around to face him, her red hair obscuring half of her face. "I have absolutely no curiosity in the _least_, Potter, to know what goes on in that sick little mind of yours." She spat.

"Aw, Lils. That hurt me." He put a hand to his chest, a falsely pained expression on his face.

"Mmm." She hummed disappointedly. "Wish it really had." She spun back around to leave the common room, but James stepped in front of her, blocking her path. "Potter." She sighed, exasperated, and rubbed her forehead. "Would you move?"

"Not until you listen to me. Don't you want me to finally grow out of being an insufferable prat?" he asked, smirking again.

Lily slowly dragged her hand down her face. "I already know what you want, Potter. The answer is still no."

James pouted, folding his arms. "Why not?"

She snorted, ignoring how delicious his lips looked like that. No matter how gorgeous he was – and he _definitely_ was—he was still a big git. "Because every time you open your mouth, your words are cocky, rude, or just plain annoying. Because you hex people for the heck of it. Because you're so bloody a—" she stopped herself short. Was she really just about to say...? Yes, yes she was. She very nearly told _James Potter_ that he was "_so bloody attractive_". She was appalled at herself.

"So bloody... what?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Annoying." She growled.

"You used that one already, love." He smiled. "Running out of excuses already?"

"Ugh!" Lily threw her hands in the air. "That's exactly what I'm talking about!" she poked him in the chest. _His beautifully muscled chest... Quidditch really tones a man... Oh, stop it, Lily! _"You're so bloody annoying, so bloody arrogant, and so _bloody_ persistent!"

"If you don't like how persistent I am, you should just give in." he smiled again, and leaned down, looking her straight in the eyes. "Say yes, Lily," he breathed.

Her own breath hitched lightly. He smelled... _Merlin,_ he smelled even better than he looked. Sirius had been right the other day. The man really _was_ put on this earth to seduce women. And, unfortunately, he was fixated on one woman in particular... "Potter," she said disapprovingly. "Must we really play round after round of this game? You're such a damn sore loser about it," she whispered, the harshness of her words lost in the airy tone.

"That's your own fault, Lily," James murmured. "When the prize is you, winning the game is all that matters." Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her waist.

Any other time, she would've stomped on his foot, gotten pissy at him for being cocky, and walked away without a single look at him and his damnable face. But, with that damnable face so extremely close to her own, and his scent clouding her mind, she couldn't remember why she'd ever want to. "Is it?" she asked, her voice slight. She realized her hands were resting on his chest.

He nodded, smiling softly. "Most definitely. This little game is consuming me, Lily Evans. It's all I've been able to think about since the first day I met you." He tightened his hold on her a fraction.

She shook her head slowly, denying his words, though her body instinctively moved closer to his when his arms flexed protectively. "I... I don't think that... James, you really... I just don't know."

His heart swelled. _She called me James,_ he thought, elated beyond belief. She hadn't called him James since they were second years, when Padfoot had shoved the both of them in a closet, sealing and silencing the door with a few quick spells. "Lily." His thumbs rubbed the small of her back gently. "You don't have to know. Just tell me what you want to do. Right now."

Gazing up into his beautiful blue eyes, she could only think of one thing. She stood up on her tiptoes, and placed her lips over his.

James's eyes widened. Definitely unexpected. He'd been prepared for more doubts, more rejection, more insults, maybe even more confusion. But not this. _Ah, screw it. Lily is kissing you, you git! Shut up and enjoy it!_ So he did. He gathered her even closer and closed his eyes, moving his lips with hers. Her arms snaked up and around his neck, hugging him to her.

_What am I doing? This is mad. I shouldn't be doing this. What is _he_ doing? Why is he kissing me back? Oh, who am I kidding? He's been begging to kiss me since Sirius shoved us in that closet in second year. Ugh! Shut up and kiss him, Lily!_ She threaded her fingers through his untamed, black hair. Her lids slid down. She felt his tongue on her bottom lip, silently asking for access. Instinctually, she granted it, opening her mouth. As their tongues danced together, Lily sighed into his mouth, leaning into the kiss. She ran her tongue along his lip, and he moaned quietly.

Sharp whistling and loud whooping caught the couple's attention, and their mouths broke apart to find where the noise was coming from. When they saw who was making all the racket, James growled. Lily, gaining her wits back, immediately stepped away from him, straightening her robes and hair.

"Oi, Prongs! Finally got your hands on Evans, eh?" Sirius Black called, waving enthusiastically. Beside him, Peter Pettigrew clapped his hands together, jumping up and down. Remus Lupin was just barely visible behind the two, his hand on his forehead, chuckling at the other boys' antics.

Lily's eyes narrowed and she turned back to James. "I don't know what you're playing at, Potter, but there _is_ no game." With that, she swept out of the room towards the banquet hall, though her appetite was less than important at the moment.

James stared at the portrait as it swung closed, the other Marauders gathering around him.

"Congrats, Potter!" Sirius boomed, clapping him on the shoulder.

The black haired boy turned to glare at his best friend, and quickly smacked him upside the head.

"Ow!" he protested. "That hurt!"

"You gits! What'd you do that for? She was about to say yes!" he complained.

"Oh, calm yourself, James." Lupin muttered.

"Yeah, James, calm yourself." Sirius grinned widely. "By the looks of that snogging, she'll be saying yes in no time." He winked.

"She better, Black. Or you're going to find a certain prized possession of yours has turned into a wand," he growled.

His friends just laughed as they steered him out the door.

_You're wrong, Lily Evans. There _is_ a game. And it's on. _

**~~I love Sirius. Really, I do. He's hilarious and carefree. So adorable...**

**Oh, right. James and Lily. *shakes head quickly* So, uh, tell me what you think, if you want me to continue this or scrap it, what you like, what you hate, all that jazz. **

**_The_ first-reviewer-virtual-cookie-that-you-can't-really-eat-but-gives-you-a-sort-of-strange-satisfaction...-cookie-thingy is up for grabs again! Hurry and review! I know you all want that cookie!**

**Love and huggies to all my R&R...ers!**

**Rach xo~~**


	2. Lily Evans: Bloody Twit

**~~Wow, guys! I didn't even expect one review today, and I got four! :'] You make me so happy. *sniffle* I still don't own HP, but that's ok now. Cause you guys are awesome.**

**Princess Leasha- Yay! You won my cookie! Of course it's chocolate! It would be a silly prize if it wasn't chocolate... Oh, and thanks for sharing Sirius. Eternally grateful for that. ;] **

**pinkpoodle7, ihearthp96, and annie2163- Thank you so much for reviewing! I think it's pretty obvious that I'm continuing this, and updating quickly, (I mean, really, I almost _never_ update the same day. You guys work wonders.) but I still want to say that it's all because of you guys and your reviews! :]**

**Alright, now that those lovely little acknowledgements are off my checklist, I'll tell you that I have an OC in this chapter. Lily's best friend (after year five, I mean) is never mentioned, so I had to invent one. She's a lot like my best friend, now that I think about it... Rene, if I ever kiss a Marauder, don't yell at me. Be happy for me. Because I'd be in freaking heaven...**

**Anyway... Enjoy!~~**

* * *

"You did _what_?!" Delilah Marwick screeched, her normally soft brown eyes wide in horror and surprise.

Lily sighed. "Delly, could you not yell? Or do I have to get you a bloody calming drought for that?"

"That might be helpful," the girl huffed indignantly, though she sank back onto her bed, obviously calm again. "But, honestly, Lily! You can't expect me _not_ to yell at you after telling me _that_."

"I know." Lily let herself drop next to her friend. "Oh, Merlin, I know." she groaned in defeat.

Delilah patted the distraught ginger's shoulder. "You're a bloody twit, you are," she chortled.

"Delly! This is not funny!" Lily swatted the hand away.

"Lils, you kissed a bloody _Marauder_. And _Potter_, no less! Granted, any other girl who had done that wouldn't have stomped off to breakfast immediately after... But you're not any other girl. You're Lily Bloody Evans, for Merlin's sake. Head Girl. The only other female in this bloody castle besides me who isn't drooling over one of those prats." She gestured vaguely at the door of their dorm, which led out to the common room, where the boys in question no doubt were.

"I know, I know, I _know_." she moaned, covering her face. "I don't even know why I did it, Delly. I really don't. I just... _did_. No logic behind it whatsoever. It was all instinct, and, hell, if Sirius had been that bloody close to you, you probably would've done the same." She peeked over at her friend through her fingers, who didn't deny it.

"That may be, but you do realize that he won't give up now. He'll see this as a chink in the anti-Potter armour you've been wearing for so long."

"Yeah..."

Delilah eyed her friend curiously. "Is it?" she asked, her eyebrows raised high into her straight, brown bangs.

"No!" Lily insisted quickly. "Well... I don't know. It very well could be," she amended, not quite wanting to admit that she was almost positive it was. "I mean... You weren't there, Dell. You didn't see the way he looked at me... Or smell him. Bloody, he smelled delicious. And what he was saying was so sweet..."

"Lily." She snapped in her fingers in her face, bringing the girl back to reality. "Are you listening to yourself? It sounds to me like the armour's all but vanished."

Lily shook her head. "No, he's still a git. I mean, yesterday, he bloody hexed another first year. The poor boy couldn't walk straight after; Pomfrey had to hold him up." Her face showed pure disgust for the actions. "It's one thing to pull pranks, but it's another entirely to hex little kids that barely even know how to levitate a feather, let alone execute a counter curse."

Delilah nodded. "Alright, so you just want the man for his body and his delicious smell." She shrugged. "Good enough for me." Her attempt to stifle her chuckle failed miserably, ending in a choking, snorting sort of noise.

"Oh, shut it, Marwick." Lily laughed. "You didn't deny letting Black kiss you, either."

She shoved her friend's shoulder. "Of course I didn't, Evans. You know I'm a sucker for strong arms. And Sirius _definitely_ has strong arms..." she trailed off dreamily, and Lily hit the back of her head with a pillow. "Hey!"

"Now who's drooling?" Lily giggled, dodging a feathery blow aimed at her own head.

* * *

"Hey, Potter. Could you stop fantasizing about Evans? You're getting the couch all drooly." Sirius flicked his friend's ear to wake him from his little world.

James snorted, rolling onto his back. "You're a dog, Pad. You should be used to drool by now."

"I am, ya git. Mine, not yours."

"Not to mention that fifth year's." Lupin grinned, elbowing Sirius in the side.

James and Peter sniggered, and Sirius stuck his chin out haughtily. "It's not my fault the girl got caught up in my charm. She's not the first."

"Oh, yeah. Who _wouldn't_ fall for a man that pees in the woods and takes flea baths?" James popped one of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans into his mouth.

Sirius brought his fist down on Potter's stomach, making the boy cough and sit up. "Shut it."

"Padfoot. What the bloody hell?" James forced out, clutching his stomach. Sirius had some bloody strong arm muscles; most people couldn't make him hurt with just a punch to the gut. He had some muscles of his own. He sucked it up, though, and lay back down, grabbing a licorice wand from the pile of sweets next to him. "I don't flog you when you talk about Lily," he huffed, annoyed.

"Oi, he's right." Peter pointed out, leaning back in his chair.

Sirius scowled towards the boy in the corner. "Whose side are you on, rat?"

"The winning side, of course," he grinned cheekily.

"Of course." Sirius rolled his eyes.

Remus chuckled. "You lot are never going to shut up, are you?"

"Nope." They chorused, then laughed.

"So, boys, what's on the agenda today?" Sirius asked, clapping his large hands together.

"Well, I'd bet Prongs was going to go stalk Lily some more, but Wormtail and I have no immediate plans." Remus smirked, challenging James with his eyes.

He simply raised his eyebrows and bit down on the candy wand.

"Hmm..." Sirius mused, one finger on his stubble-speckled chin.

"Oh, bloody. I know that 'Hmm...' What in Merlin's name are you planning, Pad?" James asked, both worried and excited, as he sat up.

"Nothing special, my dear James. Just a nice little way to use that cloak of yours." The mischievous glint in his eyes said it all. Potter immediately knew he was both going to enjoy and dread whatever plot was forming in Black's head.

* * *

Lily hurried down the hall, eager to get to the library, and hoping her traditional spot had not been taken. She clutched her books and turned a corner, only to run smack into someone, causing both of them to drop their books. "Oh, Merlin, I'm so sorry!" she cried, darting down to the floor to pick them up.

"That's quite alright," a familiar voice assured her.

Her head snapped up of its own accord, and she took in the features of the face in front of her. Large nose, eyes the color of obsidian, black, flat hair, thin mouth in its customary flat line... "Severus," she breathed. "Severus Snape."

"Hello, Lily." He smiled slightly, putting one of her books in her arms. "Are you alright?" he asked, extending a hand to help her up.

"Um... Yes, yes, I think I am. Are you?" she looked back up at him when she stood, biting her lip. _This is so bloody awkward... _she thought. _He was my best friend for so long... And now..._

"Been better." He shrugged. Lily looked worried for a moment, but he smiled again. "Nothing to do with you, Lily. Promise. Just little things."

She nodded slowly, not quite believing him. Though, he did change so much fifth year... She was fairly sure his interest in the Dark Arts had turned into more than that. Wouldn't exactly keep a man chipper. "If you say so, Severus..." she muttered, looking down at the books in her hands. "Um, I'd better go. I was on my way to—"

"The library?"

"Uh, yes. Yes, the library. That obvious?"

Snape chuckled once. "You've got at least five books, classes are over, and you're running. Not very hard to connect the three."

Lily nodded again. "Course," she mimicked his tense laugh. "Well, if I wait much longer, my spot'll be gone, so... I'll, uh, see you around, Severus."

"Bye, Lily," he said in a low voice.

As she hurried away, he stared at her retreating form. _She still has no idea... _

* * *

An hour later, Lily sat in her favorite spot in the library, pouring over her Potions books. Professor Slughorn expected so bloody much from her... "Oh, Lily. You've got such an intuitive grasp of potion-making. You really can go so far..." Blah, blah-blah, blah-blah. In other words, "Oh, Lily. I'm going to give you more work than the rest of the class, and then guilt you into going to dinner to laugh falsely at my jokes and stories, and embarrass yourself by saying your parents really did nothing special at all, but have boring Muggle jobs." _Lovely. Just lovely..._

"Lily!" a harsh whisper interrupted her thoughts.

She turned her head quickly to see who was calling, but she saw no one behind her. "Going mad..." she muttered, going back to her books.

A chuckle made her look once more, and she examined the entire library through narrowed eyes. The only people she saw were a few nameless second years, and that vulture-looking Madam Pince. None of them were close enough to hear her comment, and whoever it was had obviously laughed at it.

"Psst!" she spun her head again; the voice was right next to her this time. The chair next to her pulled out, and she felt the rush of air as someone sat down.

"Who the bloody hell are you?" she demanded quietly.

"Oh, testy, are we?"

Her eyes narrowed. She knew that voice, and she could hear the smirk in it. Aiming a kick towards where his shins should be, she heard a stifled yelp, and smiled vindictively. "That's what you get for spying on me and scaring me half to death, Potter." She turned back to her books again.

He sighed, and pulled the cloak off. "It's not really spying if I was paying more attention to how gorgeous you look when you're concentrating than what you're doing, is it?"

Lily raised an eyebrow at him. "You're joking, right?"

"Why would I joke about such beauty, Lily?" James asked, pretending to be shocked.

She snorted. "I wasn't talking about that, though that's pretty ridiculous as well. I was _talking_ about you denying that you were spying. What else do you call watching me while I'm unaware?"

"Admiring from afar," he supplied with a grin.

Rolling her eyes, she closed her book. There was no way he was going to let her study. "Sure, Potter. Then why did you stop your 'admiring' and scare me?"

"Simple. I wanted to talk to you. Just because I happened to be invisible and whispering eerily, doesn't mean that I intentionally scared you."

"Mhmm, right." Lily said sarcastically. "Well, if you wanted to talk, then talk." She folded her arms and leaned back in her chair, waiting.

James took a deep breath. "Will you go to Hogsmeade with me?"

She looked at him incredulously. "Do you really think I'm going to give you a different answer than any other time you've asked?"

"Yes," he said confidently.

"Ugh." She let her head drop onto the cover of her book with a low _thunk_. "And Delly said _I_ was the bloody twit," she muttered to the table.

"What?" James asked, knowing fully well what she'd said, but wanting to know if she'd say it again, and to his face.

Lily sighed and sat back again. "Potter. I'm not going to go out with you. This morning was... A lapse in judgment. A mistake. An idiot move. Pick whichever you like, they all fit. I don't know why I kissed you, and I definitely wouldn't have if I'd been thinking straight. Sorry to lead you on and all, no matter how unintentionally, but you're still a git."

James nodded, leaning his elbow on the table, and his face on his hand. "I understand. I'm not entirely surprised you're saying you don't want me, now that you've gotten a taste." He shrugged and fingered a piece of her hair, which caused her to glare at his hand. "But, believe me, Lily. I know how to distinguish between an uninterested woman, and one in denial. You, love, are the latter." He moved his hand back to cradle her neck. "If you weren't, you'd have done something about this, Lily. You know that. You know that if you were uninterested, your breath wouldn't be so hard to find right now. You know that if you were uninterested, that adorable little blush wouldn't be coloring your cheeks. You know that if you were uninterested, you wouldn't let me do..." he leaned in closer, until his lips were almost brushing against hers with every movement, "this." He closed the tiny space between them, capturing her mouth.

She gasped. _You _are_ uninterested! Don't let him do this! You're not in any form of bloody denial. You simply don't want him!_ If she wasn't interested, then why were her lips moving with his? Why did her arms wrap themselves around his neck? Why was her breath coming more quickly, and her heart pounding in her chest? _Because you _are_ interested, you bloody twit! _

* * *

**~~James is so bloody cute in this chapter! *squeals* I don't care if he's a little arrogant about it. It's only because he's right...**

**So, what do you think? Good OC? Bad OC? Thoughts on running into Snape? On Potter's library appearance? Please tell me anything you're thinking so far about this at all. I _love_ hearing people's reactions to my writing. No matter if it's "THAT was horrible. I expected more of you." or "OMG THAT WAS AMAZING I LOVE YOUUU WRITE MORE!" Well... hopefully with a little more detail than that... but you get the gist of it, right? **

**More love and huggies!**

**Rach xo~~**


	3. Innuendos and Letters

**~~I hate writer's block. So. Freaking. Much.**

**First, I don't own Harry Potter. Second, I'm so, so, so, so, _so_ incredibly sorry that this chapter took so long. Writer's block is a _biiiiiitch_. **

**Anyway, after that nice little cliffie, with the start of a snog session, and an emotional revelation on Lily's part, we return to our stumbling couple in the library. Please enjoy, and remember, especially in this chapter: I'm not completely horrible. I won't make life a living hell for anyone... and I love reviews!~~**

James was the first to pull away, smiling hugely.

Lily slowly opened her eyes, her arms still around his neck. "I... I don't... I really..." she stammered, not coherent in the least.

"Shhh," he breathed, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "I know." He kissed her nose gently. "But is it really that big of a risk to just go on one, tiny, little date with me?"

"Well, I..." Lily looked into his eyes. His soft, kind, hazel eyes. _I'm in trouble. _

"One date. Nothing more. If you still think I'm a git afterwards... well, I guess that's that, eh?" he smiled gently. "And, if your mind happens to be changed about me, then we'll go from there. It's just a date, Lils."

She took a deep, shaky breath. "James, I... I'm not sure. I just..." she pulled her arms away slowly, leaning back in her chair. "You get under my skin, and annoy me to no end."

"That's part of my charm, love," he said, still smiling. He couldn't believe it. She was _actually_ thinking about saying yes.

Lily snorted. _It is._ "Maybe," she allowed. "It's still bloody infuriating."

James leaned forward. "You know, fury is passionate." He winked.

She rolled her eyes at this, and fiddled with the sleeve of her robes. "Really, though. I..." she bit down on her lip, not quite sure how to say it. "I just can't see us being anywhere together for long, without going at it."

He grinned wickedly. "Oh, love. You never told me. We could _definitely_... 'go at it'. I just never knew you were interested." He winked again.

Lily smacked him on the shoulder, though she was giggling. "James!" she scolded. "You and your bloody innuendos." She shook her head, still laughing a bit. "You know very well what I'm getting at here."

He sighed and leaned back in his own chair, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, guess I do. But, honestly, I find nothing wrong with our little arguments. You must admit, it's a bit fun."

"Fun for you, maybe, but for me it's slightly nauseating."

James barked a laugh, causing Madam Pince to shoot them a steely glare that clearly stated she hated noisy, messy little children, and really should not be in a _school_ library.

"Come with me, love." He grabbed her hands, and pulled her up, starting quickly for the door.

Lily freed one of her hands, flicked her wand, and quickly _Accio'd_ her books to her. "Where are we...?"

"You'll see."

------

Only a few minutes later, Lily was perched on an exceptionally large rock next to the lake, her books at her feet, James kneeling in front of her, holding her hands in his.

"James, I don't see what—"

He placed a finger over her lips. "Don't say anything yet. Just listen."

Lily sighed and nodded.

"Close your eyes, love," he breathed.

She squinted at him suspiciously for a moment, then slowly complied. The tiny little smile on his face melted all thoughts of his possible treacheries as she let her lids slip down.

"Good. Now, listen. What do you hear?" he asked quietly, rubbing little circles into the back of her hands.

She took a deep breath, and tilted her head to the side. "I hear... the lake... the water..." she muttered, not quite understanding what she was supposed to hear.

"Yes. What else?"

"...The wind..."

He chuckled. "I think you're missing—" he was cut off by a loud screeching noise.

"An owl?" Lily wondered aloud, opening her eyes to see where it was coming from.

James cursed the bloody animal silently for ruining the moment, looking up as well, but more to see if it was within hexing range than curiosity.

"Oh, Merlin. What is it now?" Her head found its way into her hands.

"What? What is it?" James looked at the girl next to him, worried.

Lily sighed. "That's Roach."

"Roach?"

"Yeah. I got him for my parents a couple years ago, so they could actually write back to me. My sister named him." She rolled her eyes. "I haven't written to them lately, so something must be going on..." she trailed off, brought her fingers to her lips, and whistled harshly.

James watched as Roach swooped down towards them, still screeching noisily. _Good name..._ he thought, taking in the dark brown fur and face too ugly for an owl.

"Come here, you bloody creature..." Lily muttered, irritated as the animal flew past them and landed a good distance down the shore. Roach looked up at her with his unusually squinted eyes, seeming to challenge her to complain about his stopping point. "Merlin..." Lily flipped her hair back and scrambled over the rock, stalking up to the thing and untying the parchment almost forcefully in her aggravation. "Get out of here, you git." She muttered. James worried for a moment that she was talking to him, but she shooed at the bird, and he relaxed as it flapped back into the air, dragging itself upwards with a final shriek. "Yeah, yeah..." she waved at it dismissively as she unfurled the paper.

Her eyes scanned almost clinically over it, at first, but slowly, ever so slowly, worry began to crease her brow. "I... I have to speak with Dumbledore." She spit out in rush, hurrying back up to the castle in a flurry of robes.

"Lily? Lily!" James clumsily followed after her, stumbling over every pebble. "What's wrong? What happened?"

She shook her head. "I can't... I have to go home. My dad..." she jerked her head side to side again, not able to finish her sentence.

"What? What about your dad? Lily, love, talk to me!" he caught her hand in his and gently spun her around to face him.

"No, James. I have to go. Now. If I could, I'd apparate there right this instant. But I have to floo in, so I have to get Dumbledore. Just... let me go," she slipped out of his grasp and ran into the castle, towards Dumbledore's office.

"Lily!" James called, still running after her.

"Ms. Evans, Mr. Potter, what's your hurry?" A familiar voice asked.

"Oh, Professor McGonagall, I have to get home!" Lily cried frantically, holding her hands beseechingly out at the woman in front of her.

"Home, dear?"

"Yes, home. I just got an owl from my mum. My dad, he's..." she swallowed thickly. "He's in the hospital. They don't know if he can..."

"Oh, dear. Of course. Come with me, we'll find Professor Dumbledore." McGonagall spun around, her black robes swirling behind her, and started towards the gargoyle, Lily and James hurrying behind her.

As they approached the statue, McGonagall said clearly, "Pepper Imps."

"_Pepper_ _Imps_? I thought it was Fudge Flies..." James muttered to no one in particular as the gargoyle began to spin up to reveal a staircase.

Lily weakly glared over her shoulder at him as they stepped onto the moving stone and made their way up. It ended up more as a pleading _"Merlin, just shut the bloody up already, my father's in the bloody hospital"_ kind of look.

Stepping into Dumbledore's office, the man himself turned towards them. "Ah, Mr. Potter, Ms. Evans. Good to see you two again. I hope you're not getting into more fights?" he said pleasantly, holding his withering hands out to them.

"No, no, sir. I... I have to go home." Lily stammered.

"Oh? _Oh_, yes, yes. I received word from your parents, that's right. Yes, Lily, of course. You are to floo in, correct?"

She nodded gratefully. "Yes, sir. Thank you."

"Of course, my dear. Right this way." Dumbledore directed her to his fireplace and held out the floo powder for her. "Give your parents our best, dear, and do send us an owl to let us know when you'll be coming back."

Lily nodded again, grabbing an overflowing handful of powder. "Yes, thank you, Dumbledore." She ducked into the fireplace and opened her mouth to speak.

"Lily?"

Her head snapped in the direction of the voice.

"I'm sorry, I hope your dad's ok. W—will you be alright going alone?"

She nodded once more. "I'm sure I'll be fine... thank you, though." Turning to the professors, she gave them a watery smile in farewell. "26 Kingsway North, London," she said quickly but clearly, threw down her powder, and was gone in a flash of green fire.

"Well, James Potter. What brings _you_ up here, boy?" Dumbledore asked, smiling and popping a small candy into his mouth.

**~~I'm sorry, Princess Leasha! No Sirius in this chapter! I know, it depressed me too. Really and truly :'[ he just couldn't be squeezed in here naturally with the plot... But I promise, definitely more Sirius to come!**

**I agreed with annie2163: Lily shouldn't give in to James and his innuendos _quite_ yet. Which is why she needed to de-Maraudify her head. And how does she do that? By getting out of Hogwarts for a while. Only way I saw that was a family emergency.... thoughts?**

**And yes, this is another teeny, _tiny_ cliffie. Heehee. Can you tell I'm addicted?**

**Oh, and the address is completely made up. Street address generator online... Comes in handy every now and again.**

**Now, I have two questions for you all:  
****1) Are you dreading or looking forward to some Tuney time in the next chappie?? Me? I'm so siked to write some sarcastic remarks, insults, and other lovely sisterly things...  
and  
2) What should Lily's parents' _names_ be?? Really, I can't think of any good ones for the life of me... **

**Happy late Valentines Day to you all, hope you enjoyed it :] Oh, you didn't get me a card or chocolates? That's ok. I accept reviews ;] Yeah, I do beg shamelessly... **

**Love and huggies!!**

**Rach xo~~**


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